The idea originally began with TeachSpeech365 and her blog post here Original Chain Letter Link Up Blog Post
It has been fun to read everyone's answers to the interview questions and gather all the freebies offered by everyone.
I interviewed two amazing ladies this last week from Sublime Speech and Let's Talk! Here is what each of them had to say =)
Here is my interview with a great blogger: Danielle of Sublime Speech!
Chain Letter Link Up Interview Questions!
Your name, email, blog address, link to TpT store if you have one
Danielle Reed, sublimespeech@gmail.com
When and why did you start blogging?
My first Sublime Speech blog post was on January 2, 2012
I had dabbled in blogging with a personal blog and my work in photography for many years. It never occurred to me to combine my love of creating/adapting therapy materials with blogging until winter break of 2011. It was during that break that I came across another SLP blog and decided to begin my own. I knew that it would be a challenge for me as well as inspiration to create materials that would make therapy fun for my students AND myself!
What is your favorite population to work with?
I became a Speech-language Pathologist to work with those with severe disabilities and with Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Being a small contributor to a person gaining/regaining the ability to communicate is an amazing feeling!
How much time per week do you spend blogging and/or creating materials?
I spend 10-30 hours per week blogging/twittering/facebooking/Pinteresting/creating/etc. During breaks and summers it increases a little because my stack of evals and paperwork is not haunting me from the corner of my desk!
What's your favorite topic to create materials for?
I enjoy creating materials for language and AAC. However, my articulation students are what I create materials for more often because they have fewer goals and therefore see the same materials. I also get bored with articulation therapy a bit more quickly than language and AAC so creating new materials for those students also helps me survive endless /r/ and /s/ therapy sessions!
What's the best thing about blogging?
I have come to truly appreciate the creativity and amazing talent of the SLPs across the world! It is incredible to network and access materials from those who do what you do each day. SLPs have a great understanding of content that is unmatched by big companies. I love seeing what pops out of the brain of a fellow SLP through their blogs and love to share my light bulb moments with others as well!
Do you have any blogging tips?
What do you do outside of being a SLP and blogger?
I also do photography on the side (I worked for a professional photographer throughout grad school), as well as coach a 12U competitive fastpitch team and work part time at KidsGap and BabyGap (discounts!). It can get a little crazy to basically have 5 jobs, but I love them all too much to give any of them up just yet!
Next Comes another great blogger: Whitney of Let's Talk!
Chain Letter Link Up Interview
Questions!
1. Your
name, email, blog address, link to TpT store if you have one
My name is Whitney
Smith. My email is: whit.smith.1987@gmail.com,
and my TpT store link is: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whitneyslp
2. When and why did you start blogging?
I
started the Let’s Talk blog in June of 2012. “Learn how to Blog” had been on my
bucket list for over a year, but I just hadn’t had the time to do it. Over the
summer I had the time, so I was motivated to make it happen. I really wanted a
way to connect with other professionals and parents, to gain advice and
knowledge from them, and share some of my own.
3. What is your favorite population to work with?
I
enjoy all (ok, most) of the kids on my caseload! I enjoy doing “language”
therapy more than “speech,” but my favorite population would be a close tie
between kids with Autism and Aspergers, and kids who are deaf or hard of
hearing. I love teaching social skills, as well as using sign language.
4. How much time per week do you spend blogging and/or creating materials?
The amount of time I spend each week blogging and/or creating
materials has steadily increased over the past few months. It has now pretty
much become a second job! My normal daily schedule usually looks like this:
5:15-Wake up, put dinner in crockpot, get dressed, drive to work
5:15-Wake up, put dinner in crockpot, get dressed, drive to work
6:50-2:15: Arrive at school, therapy, meetings, paperwork etc. all day
2:30-5:30:
See private clients after school, work on IEPs or materials if time
6:00-7:30:
Finish dinner, eat dinner, spend time with the husband and pups
7:30-9:30: Work on materials, blog, therapy planning, etc.
9:30: Fall asleep!
7:30-9:30: Work on materials, blog, therapy planning, etc.
9:30: Fall asleep!
I also spend several hours over the weekends working on
materials. If I’m in the middle of a bigger project that I’m trying to finish,
I fit in a few extra minutes wherever I can!
5. What's your favorite topic to create materials for?
I
really love doing language therapy. I even do language-based speech whenever
possible. I enjoy creating materials to use when addressing language goals,
including those with holiday themes. I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE books! I use the
Story Grammar Marker program all the time, so right now I’m on a kick creating
materials for specific books we are using. I also really enjoy writing social
scenarios and making social-language materials.
6. What's the best thing about blogging?
The best thing about blogging is by
far the readers! When I first started my blog, I figured I’d be happy if my
best SLP friends read the blog occasionally in addition to my grandma, who
doesn’t know anything about speech therapy, but likes to keep up with what I’m
doing! I am still overwhelmed at the response and sometimes with the added
responsibility. Having readers ask questions, offer suggestions, or give
encouragement has been such a blessing. I started blogging to collaborate with
parents and others professionals. I love learning from others and pushing
myself. I feel like blogging and creating my own materials forces me out of my
comfort zone, keeps my creative juices flowing, and makes me a better
therapist!
7. Do you have any blogging tips?
My best blogging
tip is to stay organized. I use a blogging calendar, as well as try to schedule
actual time to blog, or at least plan for future blogs, each day. I also try to
stay balanced, though. If I let myself (and I could make it work financially),
I could blog as a full-time job! There was a little while when I felt like blogging
was taking over. That’s when the scheduling came in. Now family time is first,
and I blog when I have time. If I miss my blog time for the day, I don’t sweat
it!
8. Other than working, blogging, and making materials, what do you like to do during your spare time?
What
spare time!?!? I am very rarely still for long. I like going and doing. I don’t
do well with a lot of downtime. That being said, here lately, I would pay money
for a good afternoon nap! When I’m not working, I’m usually doing something
around the house, making crafts, scrapbooking, or piddling around town. My tv
shows of choice right now are: Dexter, Homeland, Walking Dead, The Big Bang
Theory, and of course, you can never go wrong with Friends reruns! I create a
lot of my materials with a tv show going on in the background. Come to think of
it, I don’t really “watch” tv as much as a “listen” to it! Over the summer, I
spend as much time at the beach and Disney World as possible.
Thank you to both Danielle and Whitney for participating in the Chain Letter Link Up! I have a freebie for everyone over at my TPT store here: CH Freebie I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! Enjoy the time until New Years Day! There will be another Tangled Tuesday with Home Sweet Speech Room January 1st, 2013. Find another 2 freebies with that blogpost =)
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